Diwali celebrated in Rouse Hill Shopping Centre

Hindu Council of Australia celebrated Diwali festival with a fun fare and cultural program in Rouse Hill Town Shopping centre on 27th October 2018. Rouse Hill Town Centre is a shopping centre in the suburb of Rouse Hill in the Hills District of Sydney. The Village Centre is the main shopping mall with hundreds of shops, about 5,000 car park spaces and has an open air bazaar like atmosphere. Rouse Hill Town Centre is a true town centre with streets, a Town Square, outdoor dining and a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Main Street, Rouse Hill Town Centre

Diwali festival was celebrated in the Main Street of the Town Centre. The road was closed to traffic and a stage and temporary stall shops selling Indian and Diwali goods and food were set up. The shopping centre visitors were initially curious about the new arrived Hindu Australians performing their dances and bollywood music on the stage. Soon all shoppers started mingling in the Indian crowd enjoying the atmosphere, food and free henna painting.

Free Henna Painting

Free henna painting saw a beeline of girls and women getting henna on their hands with about a thousand of them many of them local Australians experiencing this form of decorative art from India. This was also a day of Karva Chauth with many Indian women taking advantage of free henna offer.

Children’s Diya painting workshop results

There were free rides for children with inflated castles. There was also a free Diya painting workshop for children. Children were taught how to paint small diyas (mud lamps) and after painting could take the Diya home. Seeing the large number of Australian children taking their own painted Diya home, this activity sure will increase the understanding of Hindu culture by other Australians.

The crowd started gathering around 10am and kept moving in the mela until 5:30pm. All car parks of the shopping centre were full almost throughout the day. The Shopping centre management was surprised at the large turn out and one the managers remarked that Christmas has arrived early in October this year, meaning that we don’t get full parks except for Christmas days shopping period.

Paintings by local artists

Hindu Art paintings were on display showing Art by local Hindu artists. The paintings were available for sale and many of them were snapped as soon as they were put up for sale.

Priests from Bhadrachalam Telangana

Many Hindu temples were there displaying their upcoming venets and appeals to Hindus. Two priests from Bhadrachalam have flown from Bhadrachalam with deities to perform Sri SitaRama Kalyanam on 3rd and 4th of November in Parramatta Park as part of a much bigger Deepavali celebration.